Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Blah-De-Blahg

Here is a promise that I made to myself recently, and that I will make to you, too: I will not blog, on this blog, about BlogHer, prior to BlogHer.

I am, of course, super-thrilled to be going. But you all don't want to read about that: if you're going, you already know what that excitement feels like and don't need me to deconstruct it for you, and if you're not going, the last thing that you want to read about is this Big! Fantastic! Party! that you'll be missing. So I'll desist.

There will, however, be two exceptions to this promise. The first is that I will, in all likelihood, write about BlogHer on BlogRhet, the meta-blog sandbox that Joy and I and some of our thinky friends frolic in from time to time (and which you are welcome to play in, too, if you like). Stuff about how we talk about things like BlogHer conferences, the sort of language we use, why so many of us identify ourselves, pre-emptively, as outsiders who'll be lurking on the sidelines or hanging back at the table looking for other geeks. (Word to you all - we are all geeks. Every last freaking one of us. The biggest blogger that you know is, end of the day, just some geek who writes on the Internet. In her pajamas. Nobody's a rock star here, people. ALL. GEEKS. Goin' to a geek convention. Hot geeks, at a fun convention, but still. Geeks.) Maybe a post or two about the real or perceived politics of inclusion and exclusion that flare up when virtual life hits reality, that kind of thing. And if I or any of my BlogRhet peeps do write those posts, I'll certainly mention it here and direct you to them.

The second exception: there will posts about BlogHer over at MBT. Not least, because a group of us will be minivanning down to Chicago on a bloginista road trip and we will (oh yes we will) be blogging it, with photos and video and all manner of exhibitionist performance art. Kinda like Thelma and Louise times six, but without the crime or the death or Brad Pitt.

The biggest reason, however, that there will be BlogHer posting over at MBT is this: we're going to send someone to BlogHer. Well, we're going to give away a full 2-day registration package, which is pretty good. And it could be you! The contest is open to all citizens of the internet - you don't need to be from Toronto, or from Canada. You do not - repeat, do not - need to be a mommy blogger. Hell, you don't even need to have a blog (although if you're interested in BlogHer you're probably thinking about getting one. Check MBT for deets.) You can be anyone, from anywhere - all you have to do is write a post, sometime between now and June 15th, on some variation of this topic: (how) does blogging empower women? (Variations: How has blogging empowered you? Isblogging a radical act, for women? Are women rocking the blogosphere? Is the blogosphere rocking you? How and why?) Then send your link to me or post a comment here or at the MBT post. All posts, of course, will be linked up here and at MBT (which, I suppose, means that there's a third exception to my No BlogHer Posts promise. But you'll forgive me, right?)

We've got an awesome celebrity judge (you Canadians - and Americans who lived close enough to the Canadian border to pick up MuchMusic, Canada's MTV, in the 80's - will appreciate how cool this is) who will select the winners. Did I say winners? Yep. Those of you who are not planning to attend BlogHer can still participate - we'll select the best of the submissions from those of you who are not going and the winner will receive a wonderful We'll Miss You At BlogHer prize package (the contents of which are secret, but will, I promise, include candy.)

And because that's not enough for you to do: check out the writing challenge that we've just posted over at BlogRhet. It's a meme, but you can tag yourself. Or just wait for me to tag you. Or maybe wait for OTJ to do it - she sprays a meme better than anyone I know.

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And - did you know that Babble has just launched Babblepedia? It's a parenting wiki (the first ever) to which anyone can contribute. Our own little wikipedia, all about parenting and childcare and everything that you ever and never wanted to know about what to do after that little dictator is dropped from the stork's beak. And, $1000 - ONE. THOUSAND. DOLLARS. - goes to whoever submits the most posts by June 30. That's a lot of diapers. Or a lot of drinks at BlogHer (one of which you'll owe me if you win this.)

I'm going to be spending the rest of my week establishing myself over there as the resident swaddling expert. Oh, how I miss the swaddle, sometimes, and the days when WonderBaby could be contained within a thin sheet of cotton...

Oh, Kelly. You wouldn't feel out of place. At least, no more than everybody else does for the first five minutes. After which, it's all so busy and exciting and full of nervous women checking out each others' urls that any out-of-placeness immediately evaporates.

I want to hear about BlogHer. I want to read about the excitement and read about people meeting people and what it was like. I'm not going and there was never even a hope of me going, but dammit, I'll be there vicariously through all of you who ARE going. So when the time comes for y'all to post about it, make sure your posts are DEEEETAILED.

Seriously, I'd never have the nerve to go to BlogHer. But ... I can't wait to hear all the details. And, I'm sooooo posting on your challenge - just cause it sounds like something I would actually be able to write about.LOVE the couch pictures.

i, too, wish i could go to blogher, to meet this wonderful writer whom i've so admired over the past year or so. but sadly - actually, no, it's not really sad - i'm going to be a bridesmaid in a dear friend's wedding. however, i might be up for competing for that "we'll miss you at blogher" prize package. because really? i know you're going to miss me. because i am just. that. awesome. :-P

oh, and p.s., wonderbaby rocks my world with her dynamic stuntacularness.

I just read the word 'Blogher' and I flash back to life without a prom date. I imagine if I were to go I wouldn't be allowed in because I wouldn't know the secret handshake - that y'all have figured out how to do via the net. And I just figured out how to freaking underscore!

I'm going to be the biggest loser at BlogHer. I think I'm going to be like the annoying little sister--and trying my best not to be agog. I'm sure I'll be out of place and feel small with my teeny blog. I have some major blog envy. But I am SO psyched to go and meet lots of great women all blogging about important things. So who cares about my boring old blog, right?C--when are you speaking? Am I totally retarded that I *just* noticed you're SPEAKING? Can I stalk you?

Thanks for doing this! I feel very sad when I realize I'm not going to BlogHer (I'm already going away for my 40th birthay, plus our family vacation falls on that same weekend); but hopefully next year!

There is something unsettling to me about this contest, and having one "celebrity" media person be the passive recipient of all entries, and judging all participants writing. Where's the democracy in that? Where's the community in that? It seems almost anti-blogging, highly corporate and very glossy-photo-like, and generally leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Why is one person a high priestess, being the sole judge of all participants' entries? It reeks of classism, elitism, and some other strange corporate smell I don't feel comfortable endorsing.

You know I love you and the mbt gals, but I just thought I should share my perspective, because if I didn't I'd feel dishonest in my respective e-relationships with you.

I would like to officially invite ANYONE reading this who is going to Blogher but is terrified at the thought of walking into the opening day breakfast and not knowing who to sit with, and thinking that everyone knows everyone else and won't welcome a stranger, to LOOK FOR ME. I'll be the short, chubby, blonde lady wearing glasses who is talking non-stop.

And Catherine, I just wrote a post this morning about how EVERYONE going to Blogher is a geek (well, my word was dork). A bunch of ladies spending a long summer weekend sitting in conference rooms with their laptops talking about page views and using words like Flickr and Twitter? Geeks! Dorks! And then I wrapped it up by writing "Come to Blogher. It's what all the cool dorks are doing"!

I hear ya, Krista. I don't entirely agree, because I think that there's absolutely room in our community for recognizing excellence, even in the manner of having judges and winners and the like. And I sought out Erica because a) she's a mom with an online presence, and b) she's a neutral observer - she's not a habitue of our community, so she can't be accused of bias.

But I get your discomfort, so I'm gonna see if I can't think of some way to make this a little more American Idol-ly, and a little less Pulitzer... ;)

As a geek who raised two extremely cool next-generation geeks, I say be loud and proud! When you can write like Bad Mother you transcend categories though. She's just plain a great great talent.... See you all in Chicago.